Senate debates

Thursday, 4 February 2021

• Committees (0 speeches)
  • Meeting (1 speech)
    I remind senators that the question may be put on any proposal at the request of any senator.
• Bills (0 speeches)
  • Customs Amendment (Product Specific Rule Modernisation) Bill 2019; In Committee (53 speeches)
    The committee is considering amendments (1) to (7) on sheet 8819, moved by Senator Keneally. The question is that items 5, 9 to 13, 19 to 21, 27, 28, 34, 35, 41, 42, 47 and 48 of schedule 1 stand...
  • Customs Amendment (Product Specific Rule Modernisation) Bill 2019; Third Reading (2 speeches)
    I move: That this bill be now read a third time.
  • Aged Care Legislation Amendment (Serious Incident Response Scheme and Other Measures) Bill 2020; Second Reading (6 speeches)
    The government has taken too long to introduce a Serious Incident Response Scheme that would respond to the cases of assault and abuse in Australia's aged-care system. It has been more than three...
• Notices (0 speeches)
  • Presentation (1 speech)
    On behalf of the Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Delegated Legislation, I give notice of my intention at the giving of notices on the next sitting day to withdraw notices of motion...
• Committees (0 speeches)
  • Selection of Bills Committee; Report (4 speeches)
    I present the first report of 2021 of the Selection of Bills Committee. I seek leave to have the report incorporated in Hansard. Leave granted. The report read as follows— SELECTION OF...
• Business (0 speeches)
  • Rearrangement (1 speech)
    I move: That: (a) government business orders of the day, as shown on today's order of business, be considered from 12.45 pm today; (b) government business be called on after the consideration of...
  • Leave of Absence (1 speech)
    by leave—I move: That leave of absence be granted to Senator Thorpe for today, for personal reasons. Question agreed to.
• Motions (0 speeches)
  • Western Australia: Bushfires (1 speech)
    I, and also on behalf of Senators Brockman, Cash, Dodson, Lines, Pratt, Reynolds, Siewert, Small, Dean Smith, Steele-John and Sterle, move: That the Senate— (a) acknowledges: (i) the...
  • Lunar New Year (4 speeches)
    At the request of Senators Wong and Griff, I move: That the Senate— (a) notes that Friday, 12 February 2021 is the Lunar New Year and that 2021 is the year of the Ox, which represents hard...
  • Tasmania: Australia Day Awards (1 speech)
    I seek leave to amend general business notice of motion No. 969 relating to Australia Day honours. Leave granted. Before moving general business notice of motion No. 969 I ask that the names of...
• Bills (0 speeches)
  • Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Save the Koala) Bill 2021; First Reading (1 speech)
    I move: That the following bill be introduced: A Bill for an Act to amend the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, and for related purposes. Question agreed to. I...
  • Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Save the Koala) Bill 2021; Second Reading (1 speech)
    I move: That this bill be now read a second time. I seek leave to table an explanatory memorandum relating to the bill. Leave granted. I table explanatory memorandum and I seek leave to have the...
• Motions (0 speeches)
  • Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (1 speech)
    I, and also on behalf of Senators McGrath, Chandler, McLachlan, Abetz, Davey, O'Sullivan, Scarr, Askew, McDonald and Henderson, move: That the Senate— (a) notes that 6 February 2021 marks...
  • International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust (4 speeches)
    Before moving general business notice of motion No. 968, I ask that the names of Senators Keneally, Wong, Katy Gallagher, Urquhart, O'Neill, Carr, Marielle Smith, Polley, Kitching, Dodson, Bilyk,...
  • National Security (22 speeches)
    At the request of Senator Keneally, I move: That the Senate— (a) notes that: (i) there has been a significant increase in far-right extremism in Australia, (ii) far-right extremism is often...
  • Manufacturing (17 speeches)
    Before moving general business notice of motion 973, I ask that the names of Senators Molan and Rennick be added to the motion. I, and also on behalf of Senators Canavan, Davey, McDonald,...
  • COVID-19: Vaccine (5 speeches)
    At the request of Senator Gallagher, I move: That the Senate— (a) notes that on: (i) 7 September 2020 Minister Hunt said 'Australians would be among the first in the world to receive a...
  • Gender and Sexual Orientation (5 speeches)
    I, and also on behalf of Senator Steele-John, move: That the Senate— (a) notes that: (i) studies suggest that at least one in ten LGBTQA+ Australians are vulnerable to religion-based...
  • Donations to Political Parties (12 speeches)
    I move: That the Senate— (a) notes that the total amount of money donated to political parties, as disclosed to the Australian Electoral Commission, tripled between the 2016 election and...
• Bills (0 speeches)
  • Designs Amendment (Advisory Council on Intellectual Property Response) Bill 2020; Second Reading (4 speeches)
    The Designs Amendment (Advisory Council on Intellectual Property Response) Bill 2020 will commence the recommendations from the 2016 Australian government's response to the former Advisory...
  • Designs Amendment (Advisory Council on Intellectual Property Response) Bill 2020; Third Reading (2 speeches)
    As no amendments to the bill have been circulated, I shall call the minister to move the third reading unless any senator requires that the bill be considered in Committee of the Whole.
  • Australian Immunisation Register Amendment (Reporting) Bill 2020; First Reading (1 speech)
    I move: That this bill may proceed without formalities and be now read a first time. Question agreed to. Bill read a first time.
  • Australian Immunisation Register Amendment (Reporting) Bill 2020; Second Reading (3 speeches)
    I move: That this bill be now read a second time. I seek leave to have the second reading speech incorporated in Hansard. Leave granted. The speech read as follows— The Australian...
  • Australian Immunisation Register Amendment (Reporting) Bill 2020; Third Reading (2 speeches)
    No amendments to the bill have been circulated. Does any senator require a committee stage? If not, I shall call the minister to move the third reading.
  • Telecommunications Amendment (Infrastructure in New Developments) Bill 2020; First Reading (1 speech)
    I move: That this bill may proceed without formalities and be now read a first time. Question agreed to. Bill read a first time.
  • Telecommunications Amendment (Infrastructure in New Developments) Bill 2020; Second Reading (3 speeches)
    I move: That this bill be now read a second time. I seek leave to have the second reading speech incorporated in Hansard. Leave granted. The speech read as follows— The Telecommunications...
  • Telecommunications Amendment (Infrastructure in New Developments) Bill 2020; Third Reading (2 speeches)
    No amendments to the bill have been circulated. Does any senator require a committee stage? If not, I shall call the minister to move the third reading.
  • Aged Care Legislation Amendment (Serious Incident Response Scheme and Other Measures) Bill 2020; Second Reading (3 speeches)
    The government's inaction on elder abuse—after years of evidence, after years of review—is absolutely inexcusable. Another review, commissioned by the government into the Oakden...
  • Aged Care Legislation Amendment (Serious Incident Response Scheme and Other Measures) Bill 2020; In Committee (38 speeches)
    I would like to ask the minister some questions. I do intend to move my amendments, but I do wish to ask some questions first. I will try and be as quick as I can, but there are some issues that...
• Questions without Notice (0 speeches)
  • JobKeeper Payment (12 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Birmingham. Virgin Australia CEO Jayne Hrdlicka has warned that the jobs of 3,000 workers will be at risk when the Morrison...
  • Tasmanian Regional Forest Agreement (9 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management, Senator Ruston. Can the minister please update the Senate on yesterday's judgement from...
  • COVID-19: Tourism (12 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Senator Payne. Is the minister aware of the Tourism Export Council survey revealing that 80 per cent of...
  • COVID-19: Vaccine (10 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Health in the Senate, Senator Colbeck. The mRNA vaccines like Pfizer and Moderna have yielded strong results in clinical trials and...
  • Tourism Industry (25 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Senator Payne. The Morrison government will end JobKeeper in 52 days, and 60 per cent of tourism...
  • Defence Facilities: Chemical Contamination (9 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for the Environment, Senator Birmingham. I thank the minister for making available the minutes of the last three PFAS Taskforce meetings....
  • Pacific Islands Forum (8 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Payne, who I note is in particularly good form today. Can the minister inform the Senate on the outcomes of the Pacific Islands Forum...
  • Climate Change (15 speeches)
    My question is to the Leader of the Government in the Senate, representing the Prime Minister. The independent Climate Targets Panel recently found that so much of our carbon budget has been...
  • Economy (10 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Industrial Relations, Senator Payne. How will cutting the wages of thousands of Australian workers help the economic recovery when...
  • Mining Industry (8 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Resources, Water and Northern Australia, Senator Ruston. Can the minister update the Senate on the important contribution of the...
  • COVID-19: Western Australia (9 speeches)
    My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Home Affairs, Senator Reynolds. In response to the Western Australian government's decision to protect its citizens against a deadly...
• Questions without Notice: Take Note of Answers (0 speeches)
  • Tourism Industry (7 speeches)
    I move: That the Senate take note of the answers given by Senators Birmingham and Payne to the questions asked by myself and Senators Sheldon and Green. I will say from the outset, from the...
  • COVID-19: Vaccine (1 speech)
    I move: That the Senate take note of the answer given by the Minister representing the Minister for Health in the Senate (Senator Colbeck) to a question without notice asked by Senator Siewert...
• Committees (0 speeches)
  • Scrutiny of Delegated Legislation Committee; Delegated Legislation Monitor (1 speech)
    I present Delegated Legislation Monitor No. 2 of 2021 of the Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Delegated Legislation, and I move: That the Senate take note of the report. In particular, I...
  • Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee; Report (5 speeches)
    I present the report of the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee on the issues facing diaspora communities in Australia, together with a Hansard record of proceedings and...
• Questions without Notice: Additional Answers (0 speeches)
  • Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission Legislative Review (1 speech)
    (—) (): I table a response to the question asked by Senator Griff and taken on notice during question time on 3 February 2021, relating to the Australian Charities and Not-for-profit...
• Bills (0 speeches)
  • National Redress Scheme for Institutional Child Sexual Abuse Amendment (Technical Amendments) Bill 2020; First Reading (1 speech)
    I move: That this bill may proceed without formalities and be now read a first time. Question agreed to. Bill read a first time.
  • National Redress Scheme for Institutional Child Sexual Abuse Amendment (Technical Amendments) Bill 2020; Second Reading (1 speech)
    I move: That this bill be now read a second time. I seek leave to have the second reading speech incorporated in Hansard. Leave granted. The speech read as follows— This Bill will amend...
• Motions (0 speeches)
  • Economy (9 speeches)
    At the request of Senator Gallagher, I move: That the Senate— (a) notes that: (i) under the Morrison Government the Australian economy entered the coronavirus pandemic from a position of...
• Questions without Notice: Additional Answers (0 speeches)
  • COVID-19: Vaccine (1 speech)
    I've been advised that, in question time today, in answering a question from Senator Siewert, I indicated that we had 40 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. That number is not correct....
• Adjournment (0 speeches)
  • COVID-19: Vaccine (1 speech)
    Another day and another humiliation for this incompetent, bumbling minister—an incompetent, bumbling minister who has a history of not being able to get his numbers right. The whole country...
  • Australia Day (1 speech)
    I'm delighted to rise in the chamber this afternoon and speak about the list of activities I undertook on Australia Day. What a great Australia Day it was that we had on 26 January. I started my...
  • COVID-19: Vaccine (1 speech)
    I'm going to tell you a story of two Australian citizens, and I'll confess right upfront that I'm related to both of them. One is my mother; one is my mother-in-law. My mother, an Australian...
  • Climate Change (1 speech)
    After the challenges of 2020, with the pandemic and the disasters across our country, you would have thought that governments would have woken up to the massive threat that climate change poses...
  • Manufacturing Industry (1 speech)
    This is an important time in Australian history as we emerge out of the coronavirus pandemic. I know it's sometimes tough in modern times to unify the country, but there has been a level of unity...
  • Economy (1 speech)
    As I said before in ending my previous speech on the economy motion: behind this transfer of wealth that's going on in this country from workers to the elites, Australia has exported more than...